Hey Portland - you might get what you deserve.

[Rev. Rye]

1) Trump mentioned being peaceful once, and used words like “fight” 20 times. Lest you think “but this could also mean non-violent struggle a la MLK or Gandhi,” Rudy Giuliani also had a speech before Trump where he referred to “trial by combat.” This sounds like priming them for violence at the very least, likely inciting it, and that’s one of the very few exceptions America has to the first amendment.

2) They didn’t fire a shot, but they did repeatedly call for the blood of Mike Pence and try to build a functional gallows, and even destroyed an AP cameraman’s camera equipment so they could use the cables to make another noose. And say what you will about groups like BLM or Antifa, Even at their worst, I’ve never seen any of them openly planning a lynching.

3) They left voluntarily? Strange because I have actually seen video of several incidents where rioters claimed they were acting on the authority of Trump himself. And they only left when Trump left a tweet telling them to leave.

4) Trump shouldn’t have been impeached for it? He attempted to incite a riot that would violently overturn the results of an election where he lost, fair and square. If that’s not grounds for impeachment, what is? And while he was going to leave office anyway, there was one other reason they did it: they wanted to disqualify Trump from trying to take office in 2024. And, having followed the proceedings, and seeing how little Trump’s team defended itself, it’s clear that the only reason it failed is because the Republican Party only gives a shit about Trump and themselves holding power. And, even that had a silver lining, because some Republican senators actually crossed party lines and voted to convict. Not enough for the supermajority required, but more than literally any other prior Presidential Impeachment.